WESTPORT — The town’s artistic legacy — and future — will be explored at a March 6 program that “reimagines” the Westport Library’s annual “Malloy Lecture in the Arts.”

Described by library officials as a way to “relaunch and reimagine” the series funded in 2002 by a donation from artist Susan Malloy, the event will feature a panel discussion on the history of the arts in Westport, how things stand now and ways the local dynamic in creativity is expected to evolve.

The program will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at the library, 20 Jesup Road. To register to attend the free program, click here.

Speakers at previous Malloy Lectures in the Arts have included Clive Davis, Arthur Miller, Joyce Carol Oates, Christopher Plummer and Salman Rushdie.

This year’s discussion will be led by actor and director James Naughton, who will moderate a panel scheduled to include: graphic artist and lifelong Westport resident Miggs Burroughs; Melody James, known for her commitment to fostering creative expression, and artist, singer and actor Melissa Newman, who launched her photo-based book about her parents, “Head Over Heels: Joanne Woodward & Paul Newman, A Love Affair in Words and Pictures,” at the library in October 2023.

Ann Sheffer, arts advocate and philanthropist “whose family’s contributions have helped shape the cultural fabric of Westport,” the library said, will also speak.

They will explore “what has made Westport such a magnet for artists, performers and creatives for decades; how the town’s artistic spirit has evolved and continues to thrive in new and exciting ways, and the role of the next generation in carrying forward and reinterpreting Westport’s rich cultural heritage,” according to the library’s announcement.

For questions or more information, call the Westport Library at 203-291-4800.